Italy's Electricity Demand Rises in November 2025

Italy experienced a surge in electricity demand in November, with a 1.7% increase compared to the same month last year. According to data released by Terna, the national transmission grid operator, electricity demand reached 25.5 billion kWh.

Electricity Demand Growth

The rise in demand occurred despite having the same number of working days (20) and a slightly lower average temperature (0.5°C) than November 2024. After adjusting for calendar and temperature effects, the increase in electricity demand stood at 1.2%.

Regional Variations

Across Italy, there was a widespread increase in electricity demand: +1.2% in the North, +1.8% in the Center, and +2.5% in the South and Islands. However, the overall demand for the January-November 2025 period remained slightly down by 0.8% (or -0.4% after corrective adjustments).

Industrial Sector Performance

The industrial sector showed a significant increase. The Imcei index, which measures electricity consumption by energy-intensive businesses, recorded a 2.6% year-on-year growth in November. This marks the third consecutive month of positive growth following a decline earlier in the year.

Sector-Specific Trends

Sectors such as steel, non-ferrous metals, food, mechanics, and cement, lime, and gypsum saw increases. Conversely, the paper, transport, ceramics, glass, and chemical industries experienced declines. On a cyclical basis, seasonally adjusted electricity demand grew by 1.3%, while the Imcei recorded a slight decrease of 0.4%.

Service Sector Insights

The Imser, based on data from major distributors, showed a 6.3% year-on-year increase in September 2025. All sectors grew compared to 2024, except for commerce, finance and insurance, education, healthcare, and social assistance.

Electricity Production and Imports

In November, 84.4% of electricity demand was covered by national production, while the remaining 15.6% came from imports, totaling 4 TWh (+5.1% year-on-year). However, net energy imports decreased by 7.5% in the January-November period compared to 2024.

Renewable Energy Sources

National net production reached 21.9 billion kWh. Renewable sources covered 31.9% of the demand (down from 33.9% in November 2024). Thermal (+4.4%), wind (+2.3%), geothermal (+1.9%), and especially photovoltaic (+13.6%) sources increased.

Solar Power Surge

The increase in solar production (+273 GWh) was mainly due to increased installed capacity (+358 GWh), which more than compensated for lower irradiation (-85 GWh). Hydroelectric power saw a sharp decline (-21.5%), also due to comparison with the high hydraulic levels of 2024.

Energy Infrastructure Growth

The expansion of energy infrastructure continued. From January to November 2025, the operational renewable capacity increased by 6,442 MW, of which 5,798 MW was photovoltaic. In the last twelve months, photovoltaic and wind power reached a total of 56,393 MW, an increase of 14.3%.

Energy Storage Expansion

By November 30, 2025, storage capacity in Italy reached 17,758 MWh, a 44% year-on-year increase, with a nominal power of 7,276 MW and approximately 873,000 installed systems. In November alone, large-scale electrochemical storage produced 172 GWh, confirming the increasing importance of this technology for the security and efficiency of the national electricity system.

Here's a summary of the electricity demand changes by sector:

Below is a table showing the trend in renewable energy sources:

Capacity of Accumulation in Italy

The following table illustrates the expansion of storage capacity in Italy:

Changes in Electricity Demand

A breakdown of electricity coverage is shown below:

Renewable Capacity Increase

The data underscores the ongoing transition towards renewable energy and the increasing role of energy storage in Italy's electricity system.